Speechless
by Kawashima-san
Summary: A Dog demon threatens her village, sending Kagome to face the problem herself. After killing what she thinks is the only inu-youkai, she comes to realize that there's an entire tribe of them and they want a compensation for her crime.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, it rightfully belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just tampering with her genius.

**Full summary:** A Dog demon threatens her village, sending Kagome to face the problem herself. After killing what she thinks is the only inu-youkai, she comes to realize that there's an entire tribe of them and they want a compensation for her crime. Too bad they don't speak human and demon language is as foreign as she is to them. Usually opinionated Kagome has a lot to say but she finds herself speechless.

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><p><em>And I can't wait anymore<em>  
><em>Just don't let me wake up on the floor<em>  
><em>She laughs the prodigal daughter<em>  
><em>Cause home is where you hear the truth<em>

**Eddi Reader-Prodigal Daughter**

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

An orange ball emerged from the snow topped mountains, shedding light on the towering trees as it illustrated its hard brown edges as well the soft corners of the pink cherry blossoms dangling on the branches. The sun's light graces the villagers' crops and the tiny green sprouts emerge from the soil to meet the summer heat. Finally the daylight crawls into the huts, indicating another day of work and harvest. Women came out with baskets of dirty laundry, Men groggily stepped out from exhaustion of the previous day or heavy drinking, and children either ran out to avoid labor or to fetch the wagyu for the farming. Despite the normal routine, the villagers seemed to tip-toe around each other by avoiding small talk and eye contact; once or twice a brave villager would glance at the dojo sitting at the far end of the village.

Inside the dojo, an uncomfortable atmosphere of silence wafts the air only occasionally interrupted by a sound of swords clashing. Kikyo teasingly winks at Kagome when their wakizashi meets and her younger sister gives an irritated sigh as she leaps away from her.

"Sister you must be fierce, today do you think those demons will show mercy to you?"

"Well sister if you don't show mercy to me, I highly doubt those monsters will," Kagome sarcastically replied tired from their preparation training, she knew that Kikyo started this duel to shake the nerves out of her but it only seemed to make it worse.

"I'm sure the youkai would appreciate your sarcasm while they eat you," Kikyo nonchalantly said and Kagome become aware of her older sister standing by the opened shoji door impatiently tapping her foot.

She hated how fast Kikyo got ready for the slaying; it reminded Kagome of how soon she'd be running in the forest with her bow and sacred arrow thumping against her back feeling the tight material of her slayer outfit stretch. Most of all an image of her smiling older sister replays in her mind and it serves as a constant reminder of what she can lose if she makes a mistake.

Every time that shoji door opens, the villagers feel that they have a responsibility to stop whatever they're doing and look up with gratitude for the reason that they owe their lives to the Higurashi sisters. However on that summer day it was different, their gratitude was replaced by anxiety because the sisters were going after the same demons that've been devouring their wagyus and these demons weren't lesser youkai-they were inu-youkai.

Kagome and Kikyo slowly walked toward the forest that erupted at the opposite end of their dojo, its branches reached out to the open area of the village as if to threaten the humans to remain in their domain. Before entering the entrance of the forest, the sisters stop to acknowledge the villagers and to their surprise each villager with their hands on their shoulder reached out and clenched their fist signing the word courage. The sisters mimicked their actions and disappeared into the forest.

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><p>The older slayer preferred to attack from the high places so she moved swiftly from branch to branch seldom to stop only when she can't see Kagome from the ground, while her older sister was air-born Kagome enjoyed feeling the grass beneath her feet and was an exceptionally fast runner. Even though they look the same with their charcoal hair, chestnut eyes, and fair complexion; they were absolutely distinctive personality wise.<p>

Kikyo is twenty years old; her age implies that she's a perfect candidate for marriage however slaying is the only thing on her mind and suitors are usually intimidated by her piercing stare. Kagome on the other hand is eighteen years old, while her older sister is calm and mature, Kagome is everything but that. She is brash and temperamental both in character and battle, whereas her older sister is calm and silent.

Suddenly the elder sister stops midst in her leap quickly glancing at what seems like piercing gold eyes hiding in a bush watching her sister jog by and immediately she screams, "Kagome watch out!"

Kagome didn't waste any time to run; of all the things she learned as a slayer, running was the most useful tool.

_Always take your opponent to a setting most beneficial to you_ she almost heard her sister whisper to her and she scurried to an open field while reaching to her back grabbing her bow.

She made note of the scattered boulders which could do great for a shield and the grass that was tall enough to hide her, Kagome couldn't help but stare longingly at the forest waiting for Kikyo to help her.

_I can't always depend on her_, she thought shaking the doubts from her head then all of a sudden she felt the earth shake and to her alarm stands the tallest demon she's ever faced. It was dark blue, taller than the trees that surrounded the field, gold hungry eyes that searched its prey. One characteristic that strikes it different from the demons she's faced was the white crescent on its forehead with matching four stripes, two placed in opposite sides of its face.

"Come and get me demon!" Kagome yelled as she stood on the boulder holding back her bow preparing to strike as the youkai charged after her, quickly she shot and it found a place on its snout where the purified arrow caused it to bleed heavily.

She resisted giving a high pitched scream when the inu-youkai howled from pain and ran towards her with renewed viciousness, Kagome left the boulder and shot at the weak points. Ankle, spine, and chest she repeated although the youkai gradually weakened, she was down to her last arrow and she knows it's not enough to bring down the demon. Rapidly a paw hits her small body sending her flying towards a nearby tree, Kagome gets up wincing from her broken ribs and she feels herself slipping.

_How long have I been fighting?_ She asks herself covering the wound on her stomach and right from there she lost all hope to fight back, she even started to imagine how far heaven was. Yet something triggered in Kagome, it was the distraught face of Kikyo when she discovers her body and she felt a pang of guilt that she didn't try hard enough to survive for her own sister.

Struggling to make a fighting stance she yells, "I'm not going down with a fight, hit the mark!"

What she saw wasn't clear; the battle fatigue must be heavily affecting her since she saw the arrow erupt with purification power instantly killing the youkai.

Unexpectedly the youkai transforms from a dog form to a human form and Kagome was taken aback by the abrupt change. The youkai appeared to be male with long dark blue hair and like the beast she killed; he had a white crescent on his forehead.

_He's handsome! _She felt guilty admitting this when she noticed his high cheek bones and perfect jaw. Kagome moved to feel his pulse on his neck then all of the sudden she became aware of an increasing demonic presence and saw at least ten inu-youkais surrounding the field.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha, it rightfully belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and I'm just tampering with her genius.

**A/N: **Hello readers, updates will come regularly on Fridays unless I otherwise say so. Many thanks to those who put me in their favorites and reviewed my story; I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><em>A story is told as much by silence as by speech.<em>

**Susan Griffin**

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

_Oh Kami._

She repeated this phrase endlessly like a mantra, Kagome considered running but she fears that it won't do any good with ten inu-youkais surrounding the pasture ready to pounce on her. So she just stood there overwhelmed by their stature, knife-like glare, and the fact she killed one. Similar to the demon she faced, the group was a variety of colors with uniform white crescents on their head. Kagome broke the silence by gesturing to the dead body and attempting volume she explains, "I killed your kin and if you don't want the same thing done to you…then you should leave our cattle alone!"

They responded with the canine like instinct of cocking their head to the side, her language reached their ears sounding foreign therefore her warning served to be useless when they approached her. Their shadows enveloped Kagome who kept her proud posture of defiance, however slightly wavering every time the dogs released a loud bark.

_Maybe they'll forget about me_, she hopefully thought looking longingly at the safe haven of the dark forest filled with various flowers and vibrant greens, sometimes it looked almost alive to her. The red inu-youkai proved her wrong by picking her up with his mouth, it was so quick she didn't have time to response and just gave a shriek. Dignity is something hard to achieve while being flopped constantly against a dog's canines, what's even worse is that the demon enjoyed giving Kagome a hard time. She grit her teeth to prevent an insult from her mouth, clearly she's not one to annoy a demon when it's holding her by its mouth. She didn't know its name and she's certain it doesn't know hers, so Kagome has given it a deserving nickname: _Flame-hair _for its vibrant red fur that looks like fire. Giving into her tiredness she was lulled to sleep by the sound of paws thumping on the floor and the faint sound of humming.

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><p>A blatant yip awoke her and she opened her eyes seeing the far too close face of an attractive man with flame hair that dangled tickling her nose. Slayer impulse flickered in Kagome; she kicked his chest to push him back then performed a quick kip-up, instantly a unanimous growl came to sound.<p>

It's _Flame-hair_!

Her hearth thrummed, her skin drenched with sweat, and her hands clamored when she noticed all her captors sporting a somewhat human form. _Flame-hair _got up from the ground with a grin, unlike the others who looked far more mature, he appeared to be as young as Kagome and his childishness was revealed by his quick foolish wink at her. Scarlet tinge crawled to her cheeks resembling a blush, she was so appalled by her own reaction she ducked trying to regain composure she currently lacked. A howl interrupted the light atmosphere between her and the demon, as the cry diminished into a faint echo all the demons turned to look at the source.

To think the other inu-youkais were the biggest she's seen was an understatement for the reason that a large demon with a unique red crescent invading its white fur stood above all of the forest, Kagome thought it was so tall that its head disappeared into the clouds. Similar to the other inu-youkai, it adapted to a human form of a man, his height still rivaled the others and his appearance definitely challenged theirs. He had white hair that could be depicted as silver, one blue stripe placed on both sides of his cheek. His long strides across the area caused the spiked pauldron covering his entire forearm to somewhat clang and as he came to an abrupt stop in front of her, she noticed his angry gold eyes analyzing her plain brown ones.

_He must be the leader of the clan_, she noted at his obvious confidence and the impressive sword on his hip.

White sharp nailed fingers grasp her chin, examining her like a prize to win or is it more like a prize already won? He addressed the other youkai with a husky yip and they all responded with an enthusiastic fierce growl except Kagome heard a bold whimper. The leader narrowed his eyes releasing a piercing snarl to the demon who dared to defy his decree. From the crowd of youkai emerged _Flame-hair _on all fours, his head tilted at the side avoiding the heated glare of his leader.

The leader mimicked _Flame-hair's _actions and crouched low circling him predatorily, _Flame-hair's _stormy eyes remained glued on the ground throughout the ordeal.

Kagome remembered this sort of behavior with the village dogs when they deal with territory and she felt anger surface at her realization of being recognized as possession. In spite of this she remained frozen at her position feeling a surge of trust for _Flame-hair _and allowed him to fight her battle this time.

Their conversation dragged and it was useless for her to listen since to her human ears it was just spontaneous barking. Thus it surprised her when silence drifted in the air, indicating a satisfactory compromise. _Flame-hair _emerged from his stooped position with a satisfied smile and transformed into his dog form taking Kagome in his mouth like before.

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><p>"I know you don't know what I'm saying but I think you have the right to know that I'm about to throw up", her stomach churned with contents that desired to resurface yet Kagome forced herself to swallow the vomit.<p>

Well at least _Flame-hair _was generous enough to stop for a while so she can catch her breath but simultaneously he playfully prowls her by hiding and then jumping out to surprise Kagome, he was behaving like a restless puppy.

"A restless puppy that's a size of ten huts stacked on top of each oth-_mmph_!"

That last sound resulted from the sudden meeting of her face and the ground when _Flame-hair's _gigantic paw pushed her, afterwards he made a sound that sounded like laughing.

As _Flame-hair's_ throttling slowed down, she noticed their location and the remarkable similarity between her own village. From the sky it looks like a distinguishing patch of treeless land in a swarm of forest, like a bald spot in a bush full of hair. Kagome was amazed by the well structured houses rather than shabby huts and what impressed her the most was the grand Azuchi castle surrounded by a rocky border bolstering the undefeatable task of invading it. It all looked the same: there's a well, there was crops, laundry hanging, and even children dodging around the adult's work.

She almost felt like she was home. Except she wasn't, not by a long shot, she's in a foreign place and it's best not to get too attached.

He nudged Kagome to a farmer house with a roof that seemed like it would fly away shoji doors that didn't closed all the way and they didn't need to because it burst open before she even had the chance to approach it. Coming out of the house was an orange wad of fuzz that had a life of it's own and jumped into her arms.

Buried under the clump of tangerine hair was a face and she's pretty sure she's in an inu-youkai clan but why was the child in her arms kitsune?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, it rightfully belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and I'm just tampering with her genius.

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><p><em>A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down.<em>  
><strong>Robert Benchley<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

She couldn't believe it. Not even after she took time to evaluate the details and picked out every little feature.

Kagome couldn't believe the amount of cuteness the kitsune possessed; she wanted to count every auburn strand on his head, fawn over the turquoise ribbon that kept his hair up, and most of all hug the soul out of him. At that moment she observed the remarkable likeness of _Flame-hair's _own burning mane and the child's golden-brown curls, Kagome made a gesture to Flame-hair pointing at the child then to him.

He laughed at her and replied with a bark of amusement, she kept making motions asking if the child is his and Flame-hair thought it was some kind of game so he copied her menstruations.

The long forgotten shoji door opened again and a tall woman came out, she had beautiful features of dark blue hair and captivating eyes but her beauty was disturbed by the scowl on her face. Her eyebrows creased creating an ugly expression of anger and Kagome instantly gave the woman the nickname of _Scowl-face_. In just a second Kagome was on the floor pinned by _Scowl-face_, the woman had a hand around Kagome's neck tightening it as she growled menacingly.

Flame-hair pulled _Scowl-face_ off Kagome and restrained the woman from attacking her again with a series of barks, Kagome didn't know what he was saying but he appeared to be explaining something. She finally calmed down then walked towards Kagome and gave her a harsh growl while pointing to her chest, _Scowl-face_ then imitated an action of pulling back an arrow from a bow. Kagome's eyes widened with understanding, she killed _Scowl-face's_ mate.

"I'm so sorry, I did not mean to do harm", Kagome assured using her most peaceful tone nonetheless the woman's face remained displeased and she just simply handed Kagome an axe.

At first Kagome thought she was to fight _Scowl-face_ but the woman pushed her to the lumber demonstrating that she has to cut wood. The girl nodded and the woman still refused to acknowledge Kagome so she walked away with _Flame-hair_ trailing behind her. She was left with the child who gave her a grin that showcased two sharp front teeth which was contagious so she smiled in return.

At least she has company in misery.

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><p>The kitsune, whom Kagome dubbed <em>Orenji<em> meaning orange, was obviously adopted by _Scowl-face_ except there was no maternal feelings whatsoever. The woman frequently kicks _Oranji_ whenever she was frustrated with anything; in fact Kagome suspects that the scars on _Oranji's _arms were not accidents. After the sun disappeared into the hills and darkness enclosed the youkai village into a silent hush, Kagome was allowed to enter the house.

Her arms felt like it was about to fall off: she had to cut wood, hunt for food, and wash clothing. Kagome figured that in compensation for her murder, she has become their slave and she wasn't happy with the arrangement but how is she to express her complaint with human language? _Scowl-face seems to find other ways to express her complaints to bodily harm_, Kagome thought while rubbing her arm to ease the muscle sore.

She set the dead sika deer on the table looking for a sign of slight approval from _Scowl-face_, except all she gave Kagome was a grunt and just dug into the meat. Sighing with frustration, Kagome gave up on making peace with _Scowl-face_ and made an action to cut a piece of meat for her. Startlingly the demon woman expressed her distaste with a menacing sneer and pointed to the door for her to leave. Holding back a scowl, Kagome raised her chin of false pride and left the house.

The cool wind hit her with a right hook on her cheek, a kick on her bare feet, and a face bristling punch on her face. Kagome made great effort to start a fire, but when it sparked a breeze diminished the flame, her hands grew numb with every attempt to strike a blaze.

Thus she sat leaning on the house waiting for her impending doom, lost in her hazy dreams Kagome fails to notice the approach of a demon.

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><p>Her dream consisted of a silver haired inu-youkai and his bored empathetic yellow eyes, Kagome swore she heard him whisper, "Weak." It aggravated her, she wanted to pull his long envious hair by the strands and give his pompous face a piece of her mind. However her body refused to listen and she was forced to watch the demon judge her, until finally the youkai placed a fur blanket on her body and walked away.<p>

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><p><strong>AN:** *sika deer- populous in japan

Again I would like to take time to thank the people who've read my fanfiction and has made reviews. I'm sorry the update was delayed because I was on vacation during spring break. So as a token of my great appreciation here's a teaser from chapter 5:

"_You're a half demon and your ears they are strange," Kagome continued to talk assuming that like the other demons, he did not understand her words._

"_You're not so good looking yourself, wench," he interrupted. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, it rightfully belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and I'm just tampering with her genius.

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><p><em> The miserable have no other medicine but only hope. <em>

**William Shakespeare**

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

Something wet tickled her cheek, making clean strokes from her jaw and unto her nose. She found it comforting yet strange, the menstruations ceased and was replaced by a furry object cuddling to the crook of her neck. Kagome opened her eyes to the gentle blank look of the child, instead of stressing over the events last night, she plastered on a smile for the boy. He obliged her a similar sentiment and handed her an object wrapped carefully with cloth.

The scent of meat struck her senses, and the fact that it was also cooked made Kagome salivate. Carefully unwrapping the meat, she resisted to stuff the morsel in her mouth since eating too fast might upset her stomach. Beside her the young kitsune awaited patiently with his hands on his lap and an expression of boredom but what mortal eyes can't see is the bright aura of pride surrounding his head like a halo.

"Young one, did you hunt this yourself?"

He didn't understand but her tone held no hint of displease; assuming she was praising him, he responded with a soft purr. It's easy for Kagome to forget the language barrier between her and the child, the lack of unnecessary words seems to heighten their bond. To demonstrate her approval for his catch, she reached over and rustled his hair, softly stroking the bangs on his forehead them making a gentle path toward the end of his ponytail._ Orenji_ was obviously a stray, maybe even the mutt of the pack considering that he wasn't of the same kind. She couldn't help but trace the various scars on his neck, they continued in greater lengths on his arms and small blunt ones on his palms.

Kagome's finger gave special attention on the particularly long scar that extended from his neck toward his left ear. All the years of hatred for demons escaped her when she imagined the terrible things that might have happened to her little friend, years of abuse in a foreign place. A dark thought voiced in her mind, will she be subjected with similar treatment?

Her train of thought was interrupted by _Orenji_ leaping from her lap and into the head of _Flame-hair_; the child's vibrant mane rivaled the demon's own hair and to Kagome it appeared that _Orenji_ was devoured by a wildfire. She tried to stop the smile creeping on her face but failed miserably when it resulted into a goofy grin which Flame-hair reciprocated with enthusiasm. He latched unto Kagome's hands pulling her from the ground and gave her an excited lick on the nose.

Shrieking at the wet liquid dripping on her nose, "Everyone seems to be wanting a taste of me today!"

On the ground was a fur blanket, giving Kagome evidence that her mysterious savior was real and wasn't a figment of her imagination. Picking it up from the floor, she sniffed the material and picked up a scent that could be described as the spring. Her nose tingled with the faint tang of cherry blossoms and she couldn't help but inhale again, in the corner of her eyes _Flame-hair_ was giving her a skeptical look. He grabbed the cloth from her and frowned, he seemed upset with something and gazed at the fortress towering over the village.

Flame-hair didn't dwell on the fur blanket and just tugged her towards the village market, while she resisted with no avail. The kitsune observed this from the top of the demon's head with a child like amusement, the human his older brother brought home was always full of surprises.

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><p>When they arrived at the market, she observed the large crowd of female inu-youkai flocking around a figure clothed in blue. Kagome had a difficult time examining the person's appearance because the group of admirers grew in numbers and they were all determine to not share, even with a filthy slave. She forgot <em>Flame-hair<em> was beside her until he emitted a bark demanding attention and at the sound of his baritone voice, the sea of female demons parted, revealing a monk.

She was taken aback at how human he appeared and Kagome never knew that demons adapted the custom of spiritual guides such as monks and priestesses. He had jet black hair tied back by a tiny ponytail resting on the back of his neck, his complexion was tan from traveling, obviously he was quite handsome and the female demons took joy in that feature. For a monk he sure had expensive looking clothes, she thought as he approached with a lopsided smile.

Boldly taking her hands she figured it was some unknown demon monk tradition and went along with it, he kissed her knuckles and his violet eyes sparkled.

"Never in my life have I seen a beautiful creature as you, I'm Miroku and would you do the honor of bearing my children."

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><p><strong>AN:** yes I'm the douche bag who didn't update for a while lol

I really am sorry for prolonging the next chapter but hopefully you're all still interested.

This one's a bit shorter but the next chapter will be a lot longer because a few things will be explained.


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